Compare the2022 Toyota Rav4 PrimeVS 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 Prime have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Honda CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Toyota Rav4 Prime has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Rav4 Prime has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Rav4 Prime XSE offers optional Parking Assist with Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Rav4 Prime XSE offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The CR-V Hybrid only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Rav4 Prime has standard Safety Connect™, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Rav4 Prime and the CR-V Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The Toyota Rav4 Prime weighs 472 to 592 pounds more than the Honda CR-V Hybrid. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 Prime for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the CR-V Hybrid.

There are over 16 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Honda dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Rav4 Prime’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Rav4 Prime’s reliability 12 points higher than the CR-V Hybrid.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 47 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Honda is ranked fifth.

The Rav4 Prime’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 90 more horsepower (302 vs. 212) than the CR-V Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Toyota Rav4 Prime is faster than the Honda CR-V Hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Prime running on electricity gets better mileage than the CR-V Hybrid (105 city/84 hwy MPGe vs. 40 city/35 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 Prime running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the CR-V Hybrid (40 city/36 hwy vs. 40 city/35 hwy).

The Rav4 Prime can drive on battery power alone for up to 42 miles. The CR-V Hybrid must run its internal combustion engine to move.

For better stopping power the Rav4 Prime’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CR-V Hybrid:

The Rav4 Prime’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the CR-V Hybrid are solid, not vented.

The Rav4 Prime has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the CR-V Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Rav4 Prime’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the CR-V Hybrid (105.9 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

The Rav4 Prime XSE handles at .83 G’s, while the CR-V Hybrid Touring pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Rav4 Prime XSE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the CR-V Hybrid Touring (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 Prime SE’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the CR-V Hybrid’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Rav4 Prime has .4 inches more rear headroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the CR-V Hybrid.

The Rav4 Prime has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the CR-V Hybrid with its rear seat up (33.5 vs. 33.2 cubic feet). The Rav4 Prime has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the CR-V Hybrid with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 68.7 cubic feet).

The Rav4 Prime has a 2500 lbs. towing capacity. The CR-V Hybrid has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Rav4 Prime uses the Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Rav4 Prime offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Rav4 Prime and the CR-V Hybrid have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Rav4 Prime is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The CR-V Hybrid prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Rav4 Prime’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The CR-V Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Rav4 Prime XSE offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Both the Rav4 Prime and the CR-V Hybrid have standard heated front seats. The Rav4 Prime also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CR-V Hybrid.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Rav4 Prime XSE keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Rav4 Prime XSE offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 Prime and the Honda CR-V Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Honda CR-V by 14% during the 2021 model year.